Re: Self Medicating » Jane D

As far as the benzos.. yup, they are a huge recreational drug out there. I limited mine and only used them for travelling (8 hours on crmaped mini bus and I needed them!) but I came across alot of people taking them "for fun". One particular guy was taking 80mg a day!!!! he took benzos all day, and then uppers (diet pills also available over counter) all evening... then next day cycle resumed... Most people I spoke to were taking benzos daily, and 3 people I became friendly with all admitted they had a benzo problem - ie, were addicted!!!

So, yeah, the fact that they were available made everyone take them... They worked out 10p (UK) per 10mg, so they were very affordable too!

I'm not going to argue whether because a med is available in x country, it should be availablke to those in y country... I just think ALL meds should be taken under doctor supervision!

Nikki x

> > You are obviously very self aware, and able to make yourself knowledgable. Sal even stated that one site didnt ask for prescriptions. > > > > Some drugs *need* monitoring, such as lithium. What if they were buying potentially dangeous drugs, or self medicating themselves a dangerous combination. What about MAOI's with no doctor prescribing them and detailing their dangers. > > > > It just really worries me. > > > > Nikki > > > > Nikki, > I can think of another downside you didn't mention. Even if you are rational enough to make these decisions initially, many of these drugs have the potential to muddle your thinking as a side effect. You need someone (not necessarily a doctor) to say "Uh, You're acting a little weird these days". > > But one problem with arguing that whether or not a drug is prescription is all that matters is that this is not a constant. You told us that benzo's were available OTC in Thailand. Does this mean they are OK to be used unsupervised there but not in the US? I doubt that even similar countries like the US, UK and Canada agree completely on which drugs are which. > > And does the nature of a drug really change over time. The new antihistamines are prescriptions only in the US. Doctors have said they should be OTC but the drugs companies are contesting it. They would have to charge less but they claim it is about the need for medical monitoring. > > Jane > > By the way what was Thailand like? Did the availability of Benzos change the way they were used?